Tuesday, August 5, 2014

BOOK REVIEW: Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

With her greatest enemy
dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen
from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her
freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background
has changed her in many ways—and her newfound friends and relatives
don't think it's for the better....

Despite the turmoil, she's
eager to start her magic training—especially as she's been given one
year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a
radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's
throne for a lost prince—and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with
her fellow magicians.

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her
brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old
friends to help her with all her new enemies....[ Summary taken from GoodReads ]Thrust from the home she thought she knew, Yelena is exiled into the unknown region of Sitia. Grown is this character from the last book and in place is a stronger and a courageous women. Yet what awaits her in the vast land?I found that Magic Study was a boost from Maria V. Snyder's first book Poison Study. You are introduced to more characters, a whole ton of drama, and a growing romance. Once again Maria has written this classical adventure novel into something deep and complex. Like before it is quite easy to mistaken this simply written piece as something too simple that would be considered middle school reading level. Yet she leaves it to us, the readers, to interpret what we see and believe. I found myself falling in love with Yelena once again. She has grown so much that it would also make her seem unrecognizable, different in a way I suppose. Yet I believe for Yelena to survive the hardships to come she needed to become stronger, smarter than what she already was. Yelena is shoved into her biological family really without warning. She had no idea what to expect and her feelings were a cobweb in the making. Yet I loved how she dealt with it in such a stride. She never once let it bring her down and she never gave up. And although she is far from her love, Valek, there is no one to stop her from getting what she wants.Maria V. Snyder has written a tale full of magic, betrayal, and hardship. All combining together to create this well crafted book: Magic Study. There is no detail left out and nothing goes unfinished. All those pieces in Poison Study that made you wonder, question why Yelena was in her position to begin with, start to weave together in the second installment. The suckish thing is you can't help but hate part of her family, especially her brother. You would think it would be happy ending, but no. You are given a crappy brother who like any sibling you would like to ship off the face of the earth. Except Yelena's brother, well you want to do worse than just shipping off the planet. One thing that I did dislike was the new range of characters. There was so many 2nd, 3rd, and 4rth characters to keep track of that it started to become confusing. I constantly felt the need to re-read a page to know what one of the characters did, or how they played any part in the story. Some of the character's I felt were unneeded in Magic Study, while others I felt should have become more prominent.

I cannot deny how happy I was when Valek made his appearance. The romance between Valek and Yelena grows subtly. It is amazing to watch those two trust each other more than anyone could ever trust another being. It is passionate and beautiful. Of course we can't forget out two other beloved characters that do this book justice: Janco and Ari. They are the kind of brothers I would want as siblings - protective and "manly." They are always to the rescue if need be and would protect Yelena with their life.

I enjoyed Maria Snyder's second book to the Study series. She has woven an intricate tale that keeps you spell bound all the way through. Her descriptive details never lack and her main point never falls short. If you think that you saw Yelena in full action in Poison Study just wait to you read Magic Study, it is more kick-ass than before.